Air-operated turbine



Sept. 14 1926. I 1,599,944

A. E. BAUMGART AIR OPERATED TURBINE Filed Jan. 9, 1926 Patented Sept. 14, 1926.

UNITED STATES ALBERT ERNEST BAUMGART, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

AIR-OPERATED TURBINE.

Application filed January 9, 1926.

This invention relates to air operated turbines which utilize the natural draft in a chimney or stack, such as commonly used inindustrial plants, as their actuating means or source of power.

l-Ieretofore it has been proposed to build turbines of this character into stacks or chimneys, but this practice tends to interfere with the draft, and in addition to that. the parts are liable to become injured besides being inaccessible for the purpose of adjustments and repairs, and such installations are relatively expensive on account of their position inside of the stack.

The object of my invention is the provision of an improved, self-contained, airoperated turbine which can be applied to any chimney or stack at small expense and without requiring much time; further, to provide a turbine of the character set forth which will have an automatic draft regulator by which the volume and velocity of the air to which the turbine is subject will be automatically regulated, thus preventing the turbine from racing and for the purpose of maintaining it at proper speed, according to its load.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved air operated turbine, adapted to be applied to a stack or chimney, which will be so constructed that the operative parts will be inaccessible when repairs or adjustments are required.

A practical embodiment of the invention is set forth hereinafter, recited in the appended claims and is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a side elevation showing the turbine installed in connection with a chimney, certain parts being broken away;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the turbine, one half of the shell being removed;

Figure 3 is a detail view of the air gate or valve; and

Figure 4-. is a cross-section on the line H, Figure 2. r

The turbine has a shell or casing 1 which is in halves connected by bolts 2 so that it may be taken apart for inspection or repairs. The respective halves are supported by legs 3.

To connect the shell 1 with the chimney or stack 4, a pipe elbow 5 of suitable size is set inside of the chimney and connected to the end of the shell at 6. This construc- Sorial No. 80,240.

tion enables the entire turbine, as a selfcontained unit, to be removed by disconnecting it from the pipe elbow 5. Turbine wheels 7 of any preferred construction are carried by a shaft 8 and adapted to rotate within the inner shell 9. The inner shell 9 is provided with spiders 10 which are bolted at 11 to the shell 9 and have bearings 12 for the shaft 8. Collars 13 carried by shaft 8, by their abutment against the bearings 12, hold the shaft 8 against endwise thrust.

A pulley 14 carried by shaft 8 is used for driving any machine or appliance from said shaft, or, the shaft 8 may be extended for that purpose.

The turbine wheels 'Z being tightly fastened on the shaft 8, the air entering at the right hand end of the shell and passing through it, under the influence of the powerful draft in the chimney 4 causes the turbine wheels 7 to rapidly rotate and as several of these wheels are provided a very considerable power is developed which may be utilized through the pulley 14;.

To manually regulate the speed of the shaft 8 and the power developed, there is provided a gate valve 15 operable by a bandle 16, or other suitable means, said valve working cross-wise in a seat 17. The valve may be used for entirely stopping the operation of the turbine by closing said valve, tgus shutting off the draft exerted on the s ell.

For the purpose of automatically regulating the speed of the shaft 8, there is provided a governor-operated valve 18 which is of disk shape, slidably mounted on the shaft 8 beyond the inner end of the shell 9, and controlled by governor balls and toggles 19 and a spring 20. The governor is automatically controlled by the rate of revolution of the shaft 8, centrifugal force throwing out the governor balls as the speed increases, thereby moving the valve 18 nearer to the inner open end of the shell 9, thus diminishing the volume and velocity of the air flowing through said shell. This results in a decrease in the speed of the shaft 8 because the turbine wheels receive less air and at a lower velocity. The governor, according to its setting, maintains the desired rate of revolution of the shaft 8, assuming that the valve 15 is open.

Stacks or chimneys for industrial plants are usually very tall and the draft exerted on the turbine Will depend upon the height of the chimney and the setting of the valve 15.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In an air operated turbine, an outer shell made in longitudinally split sections, separate legs for the respective sections, means connecting the sections together, "d1 inner shell, spiders connected to said inner shell and provided with bearings, a shaft mounted in said bearings Within said inner shell, and a turbine Wheel carried by said shaft, said turbine Wheel being located Within the inner shell.

2. In an air operated turbine the combination With an outer shell, and an inner shell, of manually operated air valve or gate for controlling" the flow of air through the outer shell, a turbine Wheel mounted Within the inner shell, and an automatic air control located Wholly Within the outer shell, comprising a valve adapted to open or close the end of said inner shell to regulate the flow of air past the turbine from the inner shell to the outer shell, and a centrifugal governor for operating said valve, said governor being operated by the turbine Wheel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT ERNEST BAUMGART. 

